I didn't get around to doing much this week end.    I went to a colleague's to get a log.  He's building a house and had to clear some trees so I scooped a log for a sheet metal working thing...

See I'm not nuts, OK fine, at least I didn't make this up.

So thanks to Mr. C for the lumber. 

I also covered my work table with steel.  This way it can take more abuse, it also makes it relatively spark proof.  The plan is to weld on it.  I'll have to figure out some sort of ventilation and clean the crap out of the basement that could catch a spark.   I still have stuff from a past life I am meaning to get rid of.

I've also added a few lairs of welds on the crash bar.  I know it looks awful but give me time, I'll make it nice. 

 Damn, I was looking for that hacksaw!

Back to the bike.  I put some of the rear end back on.  I want to make a license plate holder that affixes to the axle and shock mounts.  The plate will sit behind the rear wheel.

Nut Job tail lamp

Today was a bit like xmas,  I got the tail lamp I ordered from Voodoo Vintage Fabrication in Texas.   This thing is sweet.  It's a billet aluminium nut with LEDs in it. 

Not only does it look good but as my burnt retinas can attest the are freaking bright.   If I close my eyes I can still see the spots.

David Roy at Voodoo was a great help and gave me great service.  You should check out their website, they do some real nice work.  And no, I'm not getting anything for ranting and raving about this thing, it's just that awesome. 

www.voodoovintage.com 

I must say, this tail lamp would be worth it at twice the $80 it cost me. 

Winterize

I finally got around to winterizing my current ride.  I might try to fix the crappy paint on this tank during the winter.

 The clear coat I put on last winter is STILL soft.  I used U-POL Clear#1 spray for the first and last time.  This stuff is terrible, I can still mark the clear with a finger nail after close to a year.

Stripping

I put the spare bike to sleep today.  If there is anything on it that I need it will have to wait until spring.

It's time to remove the drive assembly, it's heavy and needs to be out of the way for cleaning and painting the frame.  Looks simple enough. 

 Three nuts and it's off.

Next, the passenger pegs and exhaust brackets.

I found someones reference scratches on them, cool.

 There we go. now I'll probably remove the rear brake linkage.

Shaping the seat

I read on Choppercharles forum that a polisher sander at low RPM can do  great job of getting rid of the rough edges on seat foam.   It sounds good but since the gas tank incident I am leery of that machine.    Last time I used it I ended up catapulting my gas tank across the room,  dented the crap out of it. 

So this time I took the advice but instead of using the electric flinger I did it by hand.   I used 40 grit sandpaper and a dust mask.   OK, I didn't think of the dust mask until a sneezing fit got me.   Snotty foam can reach impressive velocities, just ask my dog.   He sniffed the projectile that landed near him, looked at me and left the room thinking that his owner was an idiot.   Point taken Chico.

Back at it with a dust mask this time and I'm pleased with the results.   The foam turned from a hacked up piece of couch to a decent looking seat.

 This is before.

And this is after.

A little more and I'll get it how I want it.

Engine removal

I dropped the engine today.   I'm going to need it out to clean and paint the frame, the motor could also use a some cleaning.   With the engine on the bike lift all I had to do was unbolt it.   A couple things gave me grief.

 First was the drive shaft bolt.  It was angled wrong and scooching the boot while trying to get the ratchet on from the other side had me cursing.   The other snag was the clutch cable.   It had almost no play in it so I had to get it out of the top part before I could wrestle it out of the linkage at the case. 


Now that the engine is out I can remove that coolant overflow.   There is no getting that thing out unless the engine is out.  I hope I remember to put it back before I put the engine back, probably not.

I found some sort of deep sea creature in the overflow bottle.  The elusive Squishy Blob fish  ( Limosus Stilla )   is only seen deep in the Marianas Trench and in my overflow bottle. 

Good buy little guy.  Man he looks angry.

Now you can see how much cleaning needs to be done.  It's going to be a long winter.

New welder

I got a smoking deal on a welder.  I have no idea how to weld but I always wanted to try.  Seems to me any machine that makes sparks and light as intense as the sun is something I want to play with. 

It came with an auto dimming mask, real cool. 

Like I said, I have zero experience welding.  I took one of the crash bars that saw some action and figured I'd try to fill in the scraped off part with some welds. 

WONDERFUL GLORIOUS SPARKS!!   I'm melting metal with electricity.   I'm fusing metal. How freaking cool is that.   Looks like crap but who freaking cares.  I am like a god, changing the state of elements at will. 

I'll grind that, more sparks, and see if it's good enough.